Background

The House of Lords EU Committee and its six Sub-Committees are conducting a coordinated series of short inquiries looking at the key issues that will arise in the negotiations on Brexit.

Scope of the inquiry

For the purposes of the inquiry, “biosecurity” is defined as preventing and containing the spread of pests, diseases and pathogens. Animal health, plant health, food safety and invasive species are within the scope of the inquiry; human health and bioterrorism are not.

The inquiry will explore:

The extent to which a common UK-EU approach to biosecurity will continue to be desirable post-Brexit

The ways the UK and EU currently share biosecurity information, and whether these can be maintained

The resource challenges of repatriating biosecurity risk assessment and inspection

The potential need for a common biosecurity framework across the UK

How the UK could strengthen its biosecurity after leaving the EU.

Timeline

The Committee will begin taking oral evidence for this inquiry in April 2018. The closing date for written submissions is Friday 13 April 2018